Who do I admire as a Leader?

One of the leaders I admire most is the embodiment of what George Courus calls “The One Quality all Successful People Have” in his blog post by the the same title. That quality is not only the ability to learn and apply that learning, but to be willing to be focused and persistent in application. To me, this means sticking to what you thoughtfully believe to be true and trusting that through kind, patient, and consistent application, change will happen.

All too often, leaders are swayed from solid, informed decisions and direction when results don’t come quickly enough. Staff starts to grumble. Student behavior issues spike. Test scores tumble. The leaders return to the safe confines of what staff is comfortable with so at least the leader can feel a part of a group. The mindfulness initiative doesn’t seem to be working? Just forget it. PBL feeling a little too complicated? Let’s back off a bit.

This leader I admire is not this way. He has a thick skin, can weather criticism, and believes that time and consistently being allowed to try, reflect, and try again will allow change to take root. He celebrates the one little success amid the many well-intentioned failures that happen early on in a change process so that rather than defining the change, the failures become an expected, necessary part of process. He has a clear vision of what he wants school to look like, and setbacks do not deter the course. Instead, they are the teachable moments in which we are expected to find our own persistence and focus.

Who am I as a Leader?

“Leadership is a practice; it is the choice to look after those around us.” ~ Simon Sinek video

Leadership framed as a “choice to look after those around us” makes a whole lot of sense to me. So how do I try do this important work as the leader/coordinator of the technology program in my school? I like to ask questions. A lot of questions.

To look after those around me means I need to be looking around...all of the time. Working in a small school has its advantages. I can talk directly and often with people about their goals and frustrations with technology. Since no collaboration time is set aside for integrationists and classroom teachers, I try facilitate very brief “copier room collaborations” and hallway check-ins whenever I can. Teachers know these frequent, informal conversations will be kept short and sweet out of respect for their harried days, but they also know it is worth their time to be thoughtful in their responses...I am listening.

This continuous gathering of technology needs nuts and bolts--the resources teachers want, the skills they want to build, and the classroom goals they hope to achieve--invariable creates a(n ever-evolving) list that can never be fully accomplished. Prioritizing the items on that list is often a matter of diplomatic practicality; for example: no, the budget can’t absorb interactive whiteboards for all K-2 teachers this year, but can the team agree on the order in which the classrooms should receive them over a 3 year span so we can look at it more closely?

Sometimes prioritizing is a matter of looking at the list through the lens of of our school’s mission (world peace through harmony with self, others, and nature) and mission (education for sustainability).  Example: wow, a 3D printer would be cool, but that is putting more plastic into the world...is there a paper cutter sort of thing that might accomplish the same goal for K-6?

Moving together forward as a staff is also a consideration. Is a resource or PD something that most teachers and classrooms will benefit from or just one teacher and one classroom?  Is it one that I can learn and use and then train others? Does it enable me or another teacher to lead by doing/by example?

Yes, questions. A lot of questions! There is one to which I have an answer. Can I do this all better? Yes, and I keep trying.